


Heal me, please

by purplefuzzysocks001



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Complete, Curses, Draco Malfoy is a Little Shit, Drarry, Everyone Is Gay, Healer Draco Malfoy, M/M, No Smut, Professor Harry Potter, Slow Burn, but we all love him anyways, lots of swearing, seriously Draco is a potty mouth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:55:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23955709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplefuzzysocks001/pseuds/purplefuzzysocks001
Summary: An attacker is on the loose in the wizarding world, and it's turning Draco's life upside down. How is he supposed to focus on his work when Potter is admitted to St. Mungos what seems like every other day?Harry is sick of being stuck at St Mungos, but when Draco uncovers something about Harry he'd rather keep private, both their lives are changed.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley/Original Female Character(s), Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 8
Kudos: 190





	1. Chapter 1

When Harry James Potter was wheeled into St. Mungos on a stretcher for the third time in four days, Draco nearly quit on the spot. A string of Potter’s friends and co-workers at Hogwarts had recently been targeted by an unknown assailant, which had put the entire wizarding community on edge and had made Draco’s work life a living hell. 

Nevertheless, he rushed into the intensive care unit, readying his wand. Potter was lying half-conscious, trying his best to stumble out of the room to prove he was ‘perfectly fine’. 

“What happened this time?” Draco asked the intern, who was splitting her time between filling out paperwork and trying to wrangle Harry onto the hospital bed for an evaluation. 

“Can’t be really sure. Antony is supposed to be in here any minute,”

“Called for me?” Another healer bustled into the room, and Draco took the now completed paperwork from the intern. “Looks like that same mystery spell as last time,” Antony announced. 

“So we need Dittany-”

“On it,”

“I swear on my life, Potter, _sit the fuck down _,” Draco snapped. Harry flopped on the bed, rolling his eyes and grumbling under his breath. The dirt on his face and clothes contrasted harshly with the pristine white sheets and pillows.__

__“Can we not hurry this up at all? I have a class after lunch,” Draco gave Harry the most vicious glare he could muster, but it didn't seem to have any effect on him._ _

__“I’d be in my right mind to keep you here until Sunday,” Draco said coldly. “Thank you, Antony,” Antony handed Draco a vial of the healing potion, then hurried out again._ _

__“You’re bloody insane!” Harry exclaimed, though he allowed Draco to administer the potion and his face instantly became less sickly._ _

__“Unfortunate isn’t it?” Draco replied, taking a step back and casting a spell over Harry’s body. “The hell happened to your leg?” Harry shifted on the bed._ _

__“Nothing too bad. Just a little twist trying to catch the attackers,” Draco raised an eyebrow, pulling up a stool next to the bed._ _

__“It’s broken in three spots you _bloody moron _,” Harry didn’t reply, and Draco rolled his sleeves up and carefully healed the breaks. “Anything else I should know about?” Harry stayed quiet, but he had a guilty expression on his face.___ _

____“...been coughing up blood,” he finally said and Draco swore under his breath._ _ _ _

____“Take off your shirt,” Draco instructed and Harry complied without complaint. “I’m going to have to touch you, okay?”_ _ _ _

____“Mhm,” Harry closed his eyes tightly._ _ _ _

____“Was it bright red or dark red blood?” Draco asked, not looking up from his careful examination of Harry’s ribcage._ _ _ _

____“I dunno,” Harry peeked at Draco. “It just looked like blood,” Draco apparently found the issue, as soon as he touched Harry’s lower ribs, Harry screwed his eyes shut again and swore._ _ _ _

____Keeping his hand on the spot, Draco reached back for his wand and began the intricate process of healing the broken ribs._ _ _ _

____“How long has that been broken for?” Draco murmured, not looking up from his work. Harry seemed to be holding his breath._ _ _ _

____“Second attack,” Harry said tightly. Draco didn’t say anything else until he’d finished the spell. Once Draco leaned back from Harry, he visibly relaxed and took a deep breath._ _ _ _

____“And you just decided the smart thing to do was to not tell anybody?” Draco looked at Harry, this time not on the search for any more hidden injuries. He looked frail, which is not a word Draco would ever think he’d use to describe Harry._ _ _ _

____“I figured it’d heal eventually,” Harry muttered. “Besides, I care about my students and it would look bad if their DADA professor can’t defend himself against an attacker,”_ _ _ _

____“I’m sure they understand, I mean-”_ _ _ _

____“They don’t know,” Harry interrupted. “Haven’t you noticed that none of the Daily Prophet articles mention any Professors getting attacked?” Much to Draco’s chagrin, Harry slowly sat up._ _ _ _

____“Why hide it? And I hope you know you’re not going anywhere,” Harry’s shoulders slumped and he just looked at Draco helplessly._ _ _ _

____“It wasn’t my choice. But, I have to get back to Hogwarts! It’s the one way I’m contributing to society so you best let me do it,”_ _ _ _

____“Shut the hell up,” Draco snapped. “You have contributed to society since the day you were born and you at least need a good night’s rest,” A bottle of clear liquid flew from the shelf and landed in Draco's outstretched palm._ _ _ _

____“But-”_ _ _ _

____“Doctor’s orders, Potter,” Harry rolled his eyes, but grabbed the bottle and took a small sip. He immediately felt the effects of the potion and was barely able to hand it back to Draco before he collapsed in a heap._ _ _ _

____Draco put the stopper back on top and sent the bottle back to its spot on the shelf, then transfigured his stool back into the quill it originally was.  
Truth be told, the string of attacks had riled up Draco more than he’d care to admit. He’d personally cared for four of Potter’s closest friend circle including the Golden boy himself, and six more of his friends had been admitted in the times that Draco wasn’t on call. _ _ _ _

____In the back of his mind, he knew that the mystery attacker’s grand motive wasn’t just killing Potter and his friends. But he supposed he could think about that later, he had to get Harry cleaned up at least a little bit. He levitated Harry off the bed, just enough for Draco to tie a patient’s robe around him. Draco gently set Harry back down, grabbing a washcloth and dipping it in alcohol. Harry’s face was covered in small cuts that had been hidden under dirt and some dried blood caked on his face. Draco wondered if glass had shattered and caused them._ _ _ _

____Harry shifted in his sleep, scowling and mumbling incoherently. Draco froze, even though he immediately recognized it as one of the side effects of the potion he’d given Harry. If it was a good dream, he was going to let Harry sleep through it, but there were potions on hand in case it was a nightmare. Once a few minutes had passed without movement, Draco headed to the front desk._ _ _ _

____“How’s he doing?” The intern that had filled out the paperwork earlier was hovering by the coffee machine, the only muggle invention that Draco thought was actually useful._ _ _ _

___ _

____“Stubborn ass, as always,” Draco said dryly, filling up his own mug. “Asleep though,” She chuckled quietly._ _ _ _

____“Oh, boss man wants to see you. Told me to let you know to go up there once you had a break,” Draco saluted her as he walked off, a running joke between the two. The silence of the elevator rang in his ears and Draco was grateful to step out of the confinement._ _ _ _

____“Ah, Draco, I’m glad to see Trina told you I wanted to see you,” Grant Wess was a heavy-set man with a smile that never seemed to reach his eyes, no matter if he was actually happy._ _ _ _

____“Is something wrong?” Draco slid into a chair facing the other man, who immediately leaned forward on his desk and clasped his hands together._ _ _ _

____“I just thought you’d want to hear this news sooner rather than later. I know you have been on call and you can’t hear updates from the outside world,” He laughed humorlessly and Draco felt a chill run through his bones. “Your mother has been attacked too. She was reported just a few minutes after Harry Potter was admitted,”_ _ _ _

____“Is she here?” Draco was instantly on his feet, coffee sloshing in his mug dangerously. Grant nodded silently, putting on a sorrowful expression. Draco ignored the strange glint in his eyes._ _ _ _

____“Room 437,” Draco sprinted out of the room and to the elevators, heart racing. Most of his coffee was gone now, spilled between Grant’s office and the elevator._ _ _ _

____Once Draco reached room 437 and opened the door, his heart dropped to the floor. His mother lay still, nearly blending in with the white sheets. Another healer was hovering over her head, wand pointed at her temple._ _ _ _

____“How is she?” Draco whispered, rushing to her other side. She wasn’t breathing. Why wasn’t she breathing? The other healer looked at Draco with sympathetic eyes, and Draco just wanted to scream and curse at her to _‘help me save her!’ _. Draco’s hands were shaking as he reached for his wand, but a gentle hand on his arm stopped him.___ _ _ _

______“I’m so sorry,” She said softly. Draco felt like the room was closing in on him, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think, how was he supposed to deal with this? Wordlessly Draco dropped to his knees, eyes closed and head bowed._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m so sorry, mum,” Draco looked at her face, which looked empty without a ghost of a smile. Fighting back his tears, Draco stood and stalked out of the room and back down to the main floor. He’d barely made it to the front desk when someone was calling his name urgently._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Draco! It’s Potter, something’s wrong with him,” Draco felt his healer training kick in, and he jogged down to Harry’s room, where a team of healers could barely keep down a thrashing Harry._ _ _ _ _ _

______Draco rushed over, whispering the incantation that would wake Harry and hopefully get him calmed down. Harry’s muscles relaxed as he woke, squinting against the light._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Did I miss a party or something?” Harry grinned, and the room seemed to sigh in relief. In a line, the other healers cleared the room, leaving Draco and Harry behind._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Did you have a nightmare?” Draco asked bluntly, transfiguring the quill into a stool again. Harry sighed and didn’t answer._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Can I just go home now?” Harry asked, searching Draco’s face for any sign of him relenting._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Absolutely not,” Draco said. “Don’t act like a child about it either, I’m not in the mood,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“What’s got your knickers in a twist?” Harry raised himself to his elbows, a challenge in his voice._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’d rather not talk about it. Now shut the fuck up and go to sleep,” Harry raised an eyebrow, a grin playing at his lips._ _ _ _ _ _

______“But-”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m serious, Potter. Don’t be a brat,” Despite his fiery responses, Draco could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn’t meet Harry’s eyes._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Damn, just when I thought we’d become best buds after this and go out for afternoon tea,” Draco grabbed a napkin and wiped his face furiously, angry for letting himself cry in front of _Potter _of all people.___ _ _ _ _ _

________“Just _please _at least try to be helpful right now and spend the night here. I’ll get you discharged in the morning,” Draco cursed internally at his thick voice.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Are you crying? The hell is going on?” Draco finally looked at Harry, who was staring at him, eyes wide._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’ll get someone else to deal with you,” Draco stepped out of the room and the door swung behind him, closing with a quiet click._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Oh shit,” Harry said once Draco was gone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	2. Chapter 2

When Harry was finally discharged, he apparated to Hogsmeade and nearly sprinted back to the castle, ignoring the numb pain in his lungs. He didn’t stop until he was across from McGonagall’s desk, huffing his explanation of what happened yesterday. 

“Was in Hogsmeade... Got attacked again… Had to spend the night at St. Mungo’s,” McGonagall was perched in her chair, listening with a raised eyebrow and her mouth set in a firm line. 

“Why did you leave the castle?”

“I tried to get discharged- wait, what?”

“You heard perfectly well what my question was, Harry. Why did you leave knowing the attacker was after you and still on the loose?”

“I was getting chocolates. My sixth years are learning about dementors and patronuses soon,” McGonagall sighed to herself, taking off her glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose. 

“I know I can’t forbid you from leaving the castle, but don’t be reckless like that. You gave everyone a scare, myself included,”

“I’m sorry,” Harry said quietly, looking at his palms. 

“I’ll let you go prepare for your next class,” McGonagall said after a long pause. Harry silently left the office, heading for his classroom. He had the sinking feeling he’d be stuck   
in this damn castle for a long time. 

He sat at his desk, tiredly running his hands through his hair. The attacker was playing with Harry, he knew that much. They could have killed Harry four times over at the least, which made Harry cringe. 

“Harry? Where’d you disappear off to yesterday?” Slughorn was hovering in Harry’s doorway, something he’d picked up on doing since the first day. 

“I was at St. Mungos. I got attacked at Hogsmeade,” Slughorn scowled, indiscreetly checking over his shoulders for listeners. 

“Did you see the face? What happened?”

“No, I didn’t. It was dark and I was slightly more focused on not getting killed,” Harry said, knowing Slughorn would chuckle and say something along the lines of “that’s ‘m boy,”

“We were all awfully worried about you. Had an easy time managing your classes though,”

“Really? That’s good to hear,” Harry grinned, imagining the look on McGonagall’s face when she realized his class was better behaved than hers. 

“Oh, yeah. They all love you so much, couldn’t bear to do anything that might reflect badly on you,” Slughorn had migrated into the room, leaning comfortably against one of the desks. 

“I’ll be sure to mention that I’m grateful to them next time I see them,” Slughorn hummed his agreement but didn’t reply. 

“I’m sure you know that my annual Hallow’s eve party is coming up in a few weeks,” Slughorn finally said after a stretch of silence. 

“I’m already going to be out of town on Hollow’s eve,” Harry said. “Since it falls on a Saturday, I’m spending the day in Godric’s Hollow,” The remainder of Harry’s sentence went without saying, and Slughorn smiled sadly. 

“Of course ‘m boy,” A knock on the door startled Slughorn so badly he nearly fell off the desk. 

“Professor!” Harry smiled, beckoning for the small crowd of students to enter. It was a small group of standout students that often came for extra work that wasn’t in the curriculum. 

“See ya ‘round, Slug,” Harry didn’t really know when he’d adopted the nickname for Slughorn, but he didn’t care to stop. 

“Where were you yesterday?” Presley was the unofficial leader of the group, and she strode purposefully into the classroom once Slughorn was gone. 

“I’m not really allowed to tell you. It’d cause a whole bunch of issues,” Harry said apologetically and Presely frowned, brows furrowing. 

“Okay, whatever. We were wondering about the requirements for casting a Patronus,”

“Have you heard that from my sixth years?” 

“Maybe,” She said, a glint in her eye. “But we think that since we come in here all the time for advanced stuff, we might as well give it a try,”

“I don’t want you to do all this work and be disappointed. I couldn’t conjure one until the end of my fifth year and even then, most wizards can’t produce one at all,”

“We know,” A voice chimed in from the back of the group, and several others quickly agreed. “And we’d accept that it might take more time or more practice or whatever,” 

“I don’t mind teaching you at all, but it’s a very long lesson and it’s basically impossible to accomplish it all in one day,” Harry said. “You’ll need to be at a mental center with yourself and the more frustrated you get, the more difficult it becomes,”

The group took this as their cue and slid into the desks, listening intently while Harry explained the process of casting the spell- and the mental barriers a student would typically face. 

“So what’s yours then? If it reflects your personality?” It wasn’t Presley that spoke this time, but a tanned, wiry boy in her year. 

“A stag. Like my dad’s,”

“Can you show us?” Now Presley had voiced the question, and it was soon backed up by her friends. Harry summoned his wand from his desk, already focusing on his memory. 

“Expecto Patronum!” He pointed his wand forward, watching in pride as a stag the size of a car galloped around the classroom, and out the door. “Now, we’re gonna have to sit down and do some book research,”

\-----

“Okay,” Harry leaned back, snapping the textbook closed. “I have a class starting in a few minutes. Why don't you guys talk about what the best memory would be and come back here in a couple days after lessons?” 

The group stood and began chattering amongst themselves excitedly. Soon after they left, his actual class began entering the classroom, some of them looking a bit surprised to see him there. 

As soon as the last straggler sat down and Harry stood to begin his lesson, two hands shot into the air. 

“Sorry guys, I’m not really allowed to tell you where I was yesterday,” Both hands dropped back down. There were a few disappointed groans. “But, I’m alive and well so we can continue lessons per usual. Unfortunately for you guys, it’s a boring lecture about healing spells and we’ll see if there’s enough time at the end to go over some basic ones,”

Thinking about healing spells made Harry’s mind go back to Draco, and it was difficult for him to get through the lecture without saying something he didn’t mean to, He kept thinking about the stark absence of the healer when Harry was getting discharged. He still felt a pang of guilt about how he’d behaved, and seeing Draco’s completely shattered expression twisted Harry’s heart. 

“At St. Mungos, the healers commonly use the spell ‘episkey’ to evaluate injuries on yourself or another person and heal small injuries,” Harry turned and pointed his wand at the blackboard, and a small list of bullet points appeared. 

“Does it work on animals too?” Harry paused at the question, thinking for a moment. 

“I’m actually not sure,” Harry pursed his lips, trying to think of a time where Crookshanks or Trevor had been injured, but none came to mind. “I’m sure there are spells out there specifically designed for animals, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you off the top of my head,”

“Okay,” Harry glanced at his watch, keenly aware of thirty pairs of eyes on him. 

“For deep cuts, you’d use the spell ‘Vulnera Sanentur’. I’ve only seen that spell used once, in my sixth year,”

“Why’d you have to use it?” A different girl asked from the other side of the room, and Harry stiffened. 

“I wasn’t the one to actually heal, I was the one that caused the injury.” The atmosphere in the room changed from mildly bored to suddenly intrigued. 

“You should tell the story,” Harry glanced helplessly at his class. 

“It’s not a story I’m particularly fond of,” He said, hoping it would satisfy them but also knowing that it wouldn’t. 

“That’s fine, we’re all listening,”

“Alright, fine. When I was in sixth year I found an old copy of advanced potion-making. There were tons of notes on how to make perfect potions, and the previous owner had even created several of their own spells. I got perfect potions grades with it, and I was completely fascinated with that book, and I found a spell the owner had created that was   
‘for enemies’.”

“Oh Merlin, you didn’t cast it, did you?”

“I did. I didn’t know what the spell would do, but I cast it anyways on one of my classmates, and I nearly killed him. Luckily, that healing spell saved his life. I don’t know what I would have done if he’d died. I honestly might not have won against Voldemort,” Several students cringed at the name which Harry chose to ignore. 

“What did you do with the book afterward?”

“Destroyed it. Moral of the story, now you guys know why I make such a big deal about researching spells before I teach them to you,” Harry glanced at his watch again. There was barely enough time for him to teach how to cast episkey. 

In the end, most of his class got the concept fairly easily, and he dismissed them, relishing in the silence of an empty classroom. His head was pounding, and the ache in his lungs still hadn’t left, but he ignored it and reached for the small bottle of firewhiskey he’d stashed under his desk. 

He poured himself a small drink, sipping it occasionally as the headache subsided. Much to his annoyance, he still couldn’t get Malfoy out of his head. Stupid Malfoy, with his stupid sarcasm and his stupid haircut and his stupid shirt that was always unbuttoned enough to show his stupid collarbones. 

Try as he might, he couldn’t even shake the thought of Malfoy looking completely hopeless. He’d only seen him like that once before, back when he was forced to join the other side of the battle of Hogwarts. He wondered what had happened to Malfoy last night to put him in such a fit. 

Harry’s attention was drawn to the window, where his new owl was perched on the windowsill, holding a copy of the daily prophet. He wasn’t sure why he was subscribed, but sometimes it was funny to see Rita Skeeter try to get her fanbase back by publishing ridiculous articles. But nothing could prepare Harry for what the headline for today read. 

_‘Narcissa Malfoy pronounced dead at St. Mungos, confirmed to be killed by the same person attacking ministry officials; Minister Shacklebolt yet to comment.’ ___

__“Oh, Merlin,” Harry whispered, dropping the paper in his lap. No wonder Draco had been so upset, his mum had just died and Harry had been trying to get a rise out of him. “Fuck,” Harry grabbed his quill and searched frantically for a piece of parchment, he needed to apologize to Malfoy._ _


	3. Chapter 3

There was an entire pile of letters on the desk that he could have picked from, and he just _had _to open to the one from Potter. Though, he’d admit that it was somewhat nice to see Potter finally realize he’d been a massive git.__

__Draco sighed and put on his healer’s robes. He’d asked Grant to keep him on his normal schedule only because he couldn't stand being at the manor anymore._ _

__As soon as he stepped into St. Mungos, Trina was rushing towards him, arms outstretched. He accepted her hug, knowing she wouldn’t say anything about why, and Draco appreciated that from her._ _

__“It’s good to see you here,”_ _

__“You too,” Draco knew today would be long and tiring and would test his patience, but he’d rather actually save people rather than hear about details about the memorial the Ministry was planning._ _

__“So you know Hermione Weasley? Apparently, she came in early this morning and found out she’s expecting her third child,” Trina stepped back and picked up her mug of coffee from the counter._ _

__“Oh god,” Draco muttered. “It’s like they’re trying to have their own family quidditch team,” Trina snorted a laugh._ _

__“Control your excitement, Draco,” Trina said, grinning. “Oh, shit, who’s that?” Draco followed her gaze to a stranger standing near the door._ _

__“How can I help you?” Draco asked politely, a bit unnerved at the blatant staring. The stranger wandered to the desk, seeming to favor his right leg as he walked. He stood  
closer than the average person would and Draco leaned back as far as he could without being obvious. _ _

__“You’re the Malfoy kid, aren’t you?_ _

__“Oh- yeah, that’s me,” Draco was now on edge, and he discreetly reached for his wand. The stranger was silent for a beat before he lurched forward, grabbing Draco by the throat._ _

__“Where is your father?” Draco heard Trina cursing behind him, probably fumbling around for her wand_ _

__“Azkaban,” Draco choked out, trying to peel the stranger’s fingers off his throat, only for his grip to tighten._ _

__“Don’t. Lie. To. Me.”_ _

__“I’m not lying,” Draco could barely squeeze the words out and was desperately clawing at the unrelenting grip. The stranger barely spared Trina a glance, sending her flying backward with a wave of his hand._ _

__“I’ll kill you after either way. Might as well make it easier on yourself and tell me where he is,”_ _

__“I…” Draco’s throat was burning and black spots danced on the edge of his vision, growing larger with each passing second._ _

__Finally, something drew the stranger’s attention away from Draco. Swearing, he threw Draco to the floor and sprinted out of the door, apparating away as soon as he’d gotten out._ _

__Draco collapsed to the floor in an ungraceful heap, gasping desperately for breath. People swarmed around him, throwing questions at him._ _

__“Who was that guy?” Draco’s voice was weak and raspy, but it effectively silenced the crowd around him._ _

__“It looked like Greyback, but with a bunch of glamours piled on his face. I’d recognize his limp anywhere,” Draco’s head was swimming, but he forced himself to stand while ignoring the alarmed looks from his co-workers._ _

__“Well, he asked where my father was and said I was lying after I told him he was in Azkaban,”_ _

__“You should go report that to the Ministry,” Draco shook his head at the suggestion, immediately regretting the action._ _

__“I’m not exactly a friendly face to them,” Draco said wryly. “Besides-” He broke off in a fit of coughing. Someone handed him a small cup, and a delicate sip revealed it to be earl gray tea._ _

__“Even then, Greyback is less friendly. They’ll want to know that he’s on the loose and that he’s up to something,” Trina stood and joined the group of healers, examining Draco’s neck. “And if you go right now, they won’t be able to deny that something happened. I mean guys, look at his neck, he’s already got a bruise forming,”_ _

__“Thanks,”_ _

__“Go report it, I’ll cover you,” Trina pushed him in the direction of the staff apparation point while Draco rolled his eyes, but saluted her in goodbye._ _

__Draco followed her wishes and ended up in front of a wooden door with a golden plaque reading ‘Auror Weasley’. He knocked, clutching the mug of tea with his other hand._ _

__“It’s open,” Gathering his courage, Draco turned the handle and stepped into the office of Ron Weasley._ _

__“Something just happened that I think you’d like to know about,” Draco said quickly before Ron had a chance to speak._ _

__“What?” Ron set his quill on the desk and gestured for Draco to sit in the chair across from him._ _

__“We think it’s Greyback,”_ _

__“Who is ’we’?” Ron interrupted._ _

__“The other healers on duty right now. He walked into St. Mungos and asked me where my father was,”_ _

__“Did he do that?” Ron indicated roughly to Draco’s neck. Draco nodded tiredly. “Okay, start from the top and don’t leave anything out,”_ _

__“He walked in, asked who I was then started choking me while asking where my father was,” Ron ran his hands through his hair, sighing at the blatant sarcasm._ _

__“We haven’t made it public yet, but last night around the time your mum was attacked, Lucius Malfoy escaped Azkaban,” Draco swore loudly, though his burning throat protested._ _

__“What the fuck, Weasley? Why did you think it would be smart to keep that private? Greyback and my father on the loose?!”_ _

__“We have any staff that we can spare out looking for him, but there’s not too many available Aurors on hand,” Ron said in defense._ _

__“Did he kill my mother?” Draco’s voice had dropped dangerously low._ _

__“We don’t know yet. But-”_ _

__“I came here to report what happened with Greyback,” Draco said. “But if you want my father in custody alive, you’ll have to find him before I do,” He stood and walked out the door without another word, mind whirring._ _

__“Malfoy!” Ron was out of his office, jogging to cover the space Draco had cleared. “The last thing you should do is go look for him,”_ _

__“Don’t tell me what to do,” Draco snapped, though his voice was growing weak again. Perhaps yelling at Ron hadn’t been a good idea._ _

__“I’m serious,” Ron said. “We have the attacker who’s after Aurors and Professors left and right associated with Harry on top of Greyback and your father,”_ _

__“I don’t give a damn about Potter,”_ _

__“And I don’t care if you do or not. Any of them could go after you at any given time, especially once they realize that you’ve been the one to patch up most of us,”_ _

__“I don’t-”_ _

__“And if Lucius did kill your mother, I’d place all my money he’ll come after you next,”_ _

__“So then let him,” Draco replied, voice barely a whisper. “The second he comes after me is the second I kill him for what he did,” When Draco turned on his heel and strode down the hall, Ron didn’t follow._ _

__Draco apparated back to St. Mungos, jaw clenched and eyes bright with anger. The entry hall had emptied out, so Draco set off to look for Trina. He found her in a room full of bustling healers, and a sigh of relief seemed to go through the room when Draco entered._ _

__“Who came in?”_ _

__“Potter again. This time gravely injured,” Draco moved his way to the front of the crowd._ _

__“Miss me?” Harry whispered, but he couldn’t hide a grimace._ _

__“The hell happened this time? Guys, either make yourselves useful or get the hell out of the way,” Motion immediately followed his words, potions being gathered and spells being prepared to cast._ _

__Draco carefully cut away Harry’s blood-soaked shirt, revealing two huge crisscrossing gashes across his stomach. Only Trina remained in the room with him, and she was messing with the potions, Draco assumed she was looking for calming draught._ _

__“Vulnera Sanentur” Bright white light emitted from the tip of Draco’s wand, settling into Harry’s skin and stitching the cut back together._ _

__“Holy shit, that hurts,” Harry muttered through clenched teeth, and Draco only felt bad for a few seconds._ _

__“It’s almost over,” Draco said, watching intently as Harry’s skin closed over the newly healed gash. “Nasty ass scar, though,” Harry relaxed as the magic left his body, gingerly touching the area._ _

__“You sound like you got run over by a train,”_ _

__“At least I don’t _look _like I got hit by a train,” Trina snorted a laugh at Draco’s comment. He’d almost forgotten she was still in the room.___ _

____“I’m serious,” Harry said, frowning._ _ _ _

____“How very kind to worry, I’m swooning. But you’re going to lay down and rest, and you’re not going to be a brat about it because it’s Saturday and I know you don’t have classes to teach,”_ _ _ _

____“And I thought you were only an ass to me,” Trina said, drawing the attention of Draco and Harry._ _ _ _

____“Sod off,” Draco flushed slightly and Trina handed him a bottle of what appeared to be general healing potion. “Here,” Draco poured a generous amount into a paper cup and handed it to Harry._ _ _ _

____“Harry, was it the same attacker as the previous ones?” Trina asked and Harry nodded after considering for a moment._ _ _ _

____“I think so. Just don’t know how the person is still running around so much. Looks injured to me but what do I know,”_ _ _ _

____“Injured? How?”_ _ _ _

____“Has a pretty bad limp,”_ _ _ _

____“Greyback,” Trina said at the same time that Draco said “Fuck,” Draco rubbed his temple slowly._ _ _ _

____“Greyback?” Harry asked, glancing between Trina and Draco._ _ _ _

____“He came in this morning and attacked Draco wanting information,” Trina said when it became apparent that Draco wasn’t going to acknowledge Harry. Harry scowled._ _ _ _

____“What kind of information?”_ _ _ _

____“He wanted to know where my father was. Went down to the Ministry to report it to Weaselbee only to find out that he escaped Azkaban right before my mum was attacked,”_ _ _ _

____“Bloody hell,” Harry whispered while Trina stared at Draco, who was looking more and more stressed out._ _ _ _

____“But what does Greyback want with your father of all people?” Draco shrugged helplessly at her question, ignoring the analytical stare from Harry._ _ _ _

____“Hell if I know. Both bloody insane,”_ _ _ _

____“I gotta go tell Ron,” Harry said, swinging his legs over the edge of the hospital bed._ _ _ _

____“You’re staying here, I’ll go report it,” Draco said, and Harry whipped to face him, an argument on the tip of his tongue. “And you’re not changing my mind,”_ _ _ _

____“But-”_ _ _ _

____“He’ll be gone for like two minutes,” Trina had a smirk on her face that rivaled the Malfoy smirk and Draco dreaded the second half of her sentence. “Just cause he’s hot doesn’t mean you get to drool at him every moment of the day,”_ _ _ _

____“You’re literally lesbian, shut up,” Draco muttered, rolling his eyes and pretending to not noticed Harry’s indignant flushed face. He saluted her and left the room before anything else could be said._ _ _ _

____He apparated to the ministry of magic for the second time that day, imagining the look on Weasley’s face when he realized Draco and an intern had figured out the identity of the serial attacker._ _ _ _

____“It’s open,” Draco swung the door open, a smirk already playing on his lips. This was going to be fun._ _ _ _

____“Greyback is the one attacking everyone,” Draco said, and Ron raised his eyebrow at him._ _ _ _

____“And your proof is what?”_ _ _ _

____“Potter. He just got attacked, for the _fourth time _mind you, and told us a critical piece of information,”___ _ _ _

______“Which is?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“That the attacker had a limp. Greyback has had a limp since before I was born, and the person who came into St. Mungos earlier had a limp too,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“You do realize that coming to the ministry with a false accusation is a crime, right?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Fine then. Call it an educated guess from a medical professional and from the Golden boy,” Ron scowled and Draco grinned. “My advice is to get all of your Auror buds all on the same page and go after that psychopath so that you can go after my father,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Get out of my office,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Gladly,” Draco replied, turning on his heel and striding down the hall. He’d just apparated to the front entrance of St. Mungos when he saw a dark shadow out of the corner of his eye._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Hello, son,”_ _ _ _ _ _


	4. Chapter 4

“Get the hell away from me,” Draco spat, drawing his wand and pointing it at his father’s throat. If he could just get another two steps closer to the door, he’d be able to get help. 

“Has Greyback found you yet?” Draco didn’t answer, instead taking a half step towards the door. 

“Did you kill mum?” Draco looked for a reaction, a bit chilled when Lucius only grinned widely. 

“Now, let’s not focus on the trivial matters here, Draco,” Lucius was fully in the sunlight now, and Draco could see the insanity in his eyes. “Come with me,”

“Fuck no,” The words were out of Draco’s mouth before he could stop them. “I’m making my way,” Draco paused briefly. “Saving people,”

“You can’t _save _anyone,” Lucius growled. “Like you couldn’t save your mother,” Draco blinked in surprise, and Lucius was gone. Jaw clenched, Draco headed back to Potter’s room.__

__“Holy hell, why is it always him?” Trina was hunched over an unconscious Harry, eyes closed, and strands of magic flowing from her fingertips. Draco quickly assisted her, knowing she was probably close to the end of her limit._ _

__His hands filled with white-hot fire running through his veins and his eyes rolled into the back of this head. He wondered how long Trina had been healing Harry this way. This type of healing was reserved for serious cases because it put the healer in more danger than the patient._ _

__Draco was snapped out of his trance when Trina collapsed with a gasp. He scooped her up easily, moving her to the corner of the room so she could lean on two walls. Then he took the spot she’d vacated and reentered the trance, searching for what she’d been trying to heal. He found it rather quickly, though it was the last thing he’d expected to see_ _

__Harry’s soul had been cursed. Thin black strands were wrapped around the blindingly white sphere, seeming to be suffocating it. Draco attacked the black strands with everything he could muster. The thinner strands dissolved in minutes, and with each strand that disappeared, Harry’s soul glowed brighter and brighter._ _

__Draco couldn’t feel any connection to the world anymore. The only thing Draco could feel was his hands burning and Harry’s soul struggling to break free. The single black, pulsating strand was turning dull in color and Draco redoubled his efforts._ _

__Harry’s soul glowed brighter than it ever had before, and together they attacked the curse. It felt like Draco had been stuck in the trance for years, and trying to guide his magic back into his body was now a daunting task. At least he could feel Potter regaining consciousness._ _

__“Malfoy? Malfoy!” Harry sat up in an instant, surveying the scene before him. Draco’s hands were glowing gold and he was staring blankly straight ahead. Harry snapped his fingers in front of Draco’s face, which didn’t earn a response._ _

__“Okay think,” Harry took a deep breath, then smacked Draco’s forearm. Draco took a shallow breath but gave no other indication that he even felt Harry touch him. Mumbling to himself, Harry gathered his courage and grabbed Draco’s arm where he’d just hit. Before he could talk himself out of it, Harry slapped Draco’s face. Hard._ _

__Draco snapped out of the trance, gasping. He seemed to collapse in slow motion and Harry was barely able to catch him by the arm and haul him upright._ _

__“Replenishing potion,” Draco mumbled, head lolling forward. Harry gently laid him on the hospital bed and headed over to the massive shelf where bottles upon bottles of medical potions lay._ _

__Harry grabbed the replenishing potion and hurried back to Draco’s side, gently pouring it into his mouth and tilting his chin upwards. Draco sighed as the effects of the potion flooded through his body._ _

__“Give some to her,” Draco glanced to Trina, who was still curled up in the corner. Draco was glad to see she was breathing steadily and her thumb appeared to be twitching._ _

__“What happened?” Harry asked. “Both of you guys look like shit,” Draco didn’t have the energy to fire back a sarcastic answer._ _

__“Healing you. You had a curse on your soul,” Harry blanched and Draco chuckled humorlessly._ _

__“I’ve never seen a healer do… that,” Harry sat on the foot of the bed, looking at Draco with great interest._ _

__“We’re not really supposed to unless we think the patient is going to die if we don’t use the highest method of healing intervention. She had already been working on you when I got back from the ministry,”_ _

__Harry didn’t reply, instead grabbing one of Draco’s hands and examining it closely. Draco noticed with dull interest that his cuticles were bleeding, dripping down his hand and wrist. Harry grabbed a rag and wet it, gently cleaning Draco’s hand._ _

__“What did Ron say when you told him it was Greyback?”_ _

__“Nothing really. Didn’t believe me until I told him you thought it was Greyback too,” Harry grinned._ _

__“Sounds like him,” Harry grabbed Draco’s other hand and began cleaning the blood. “I’m curious to see what he does with the information though,”_ _

__“If he was smart he’d go tell Shacklebolt,” Draco muttered, wincing slightly when Harry accidentally scrubbed too hard._ _

__“He will,” Harry said thoughtfully. “But he’ll just want to be in charge of the hunt. That’s how he feels he gets out of the shadows,”_ _

__“Helping defeat Voldemort wasn’t good enough for him?” Draco let the sarcasm drip in his words. Harry crumpled up the rag and tossed it back on the counter._ _

__“Well think about it. His whole life he’s been ‘just another Weasley’ and once he got to Hogwarts, well, he got overshadowed by me,”_ _

__“Everyone got overshadowed by you,” Draco replied coolly, letting his head fall against the pillows. Harry smiled sadly._ _

__“I know. And Ron knows I’d give up the fame in a second, which makes him feel like he’s even more stuck behind me,”_ _

__“Why would you give it up?” Draco raised an eyebrow. “You can have anything in the bloody world and you settle down to become a teacher,” Draco heard Harry sigh and shift on the bed._ _

__“I just get sick of the attention,” Harry said. “And-” The door swung open, drawing the attention of Harry and Draco. Ron stood in the doorway, confusion deepening as he surveyed the scene._ _

__“He doesn’t look very injured to me, Malfoy,” Ron said, sending a glare to Malfoy._ _

__“That would be because I’m good at my job. Can you say the same?” Ron’s face flushed and Harry gave Draco a reproachful look._ _

__“What’s up, Ron?” Harry asked quickly, returning his attention to his best mate._ _

__“I was just coming to check on you. See if you wanted me to bring you lunch or anything,”_ _

__“I’m not that hungry. Thank you though,” Ron pulled a face._ _

__“Okay, why is he lying in the bed? There’s a knocked out girl on the floor, you just got attacked by Greyback-”_ _

__“Let him be,” Harry interrupted before Draco could interject. “He just broke the curse that’s been on-”_ _

__“You knew it was there,” Draco accused, watching Harry in surprise. Harry’s eyes widened and he looked at Draco as he searched for an explanation._ _

__“I- Well, yes,” Harry sputtered. “But-”_ _

__“Trina and I just nearly killed ourselves trying to figure out what it was and break it and you and you knew it was there the whole goddamned time-”_ _

__“Shut the hell up, Malfoy,” Ron said quietly. He stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind him._ _

__“Did you actually expect me to tell you it was there?” Harry asked sarcastically, earning an eye roll from Draco and Ron both. “I don’t know how you were able to break it, to be quite honest,”_ _

__“Why wouldn’t I be able to?” Draco asked shortly._ _

__“Because it was cast by Dumbledore,” Ron said when Harry looked to him for help. “Dumbledore said that only a soul bonded to Harry’s would be able to break it,” Draco stared at the two in silence, careful not to show any emotion._ _

__“Which is why she was able to start to break it, but she never would have been able to fully break the curse,” Harry gestured vaguely to Trina’s form on the floor._ _

__“Her name is Trina,” Draco mumbled. “And I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but my soul isn’t bonded to yours in any way,”_ _

__“Well it apparently is, smartass,” Ron said, earning a glare from Draco. Harry shifted on the bed again, looking uncomfortable._ _

__“What else are you not saying?” Harry glanced at Draco, who was watching his reaction intently._ _

__“Nothing,” Harry muttered tiredly. “I’m a clean slate,”_ _

__“Okay, now that we have that out of the way,” Ron said loudly, “The hunt for Greyback is officially on. Daily Prophet is reporting it tomorrow,” Draco slowly sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed._ _

__“Awfully fast for you to get back on your feet,” Harry was watching Draco with a cross between amusement and concern on his face._ _

__“I have other things to do,” Draco slowly put his weight on his legs, ignoring the flood of lightheadedness that followed. “Had a lovely conversation,”_ _

__“Five galleons that he passes out before he gets to the door,” Harry said to Ron, who’s face lit up in a grin._ _

__“Bitch,” Draco said under his breath, steadying himself on the wall once he got his full weight under him._ _

__“That’s generous,” Ron said cheekily. “I don’t think he’ll even get that far,” Draco clenched his jaw, carefully stepping around the corner of the bed. He reached the doorframe, gripping onto it tightly._ _

__“You’re white as a sheet,” Harry said, standing and taking half a step towards Draco. “Wherever you’re trying to go, you’re not going to make it all the way there,”_ _

__“Fuck off, Potter,” Draco mumbled. He could feel himself falling sideways but didn’t have the energy to even try to break the fall. The last thing he felt before his vision went dark was Harry’s arms wrapping around his waist before he hit the ground._ _


	5. Chapter 5

It took Draco almost a full minute for his eyes to get adjusted to the bright sunlight streaming in through his bedroom window. His head was rushing but he ignored it, tossing the blanket off of him. 

A pile of letters was sitting on his bedside table and his owl, Zeus, was resting in his cage. Rubbing his eye tiredly, Draco grabbed the letter off the top of the pile and opened it. 

_Malfoy,  
I’m going to start off by saying that Trina and I have been trying to take care of your owl and make sure all your letters get to you. I suppose we’re also trying to make sure you’re not dead.  
I feel like I should explain the full truth with the curse thing. Let me take you out for a drink and I’ll tell you everything and I think you’ll understand why I freaked out a bit when you broke the curse. -HP ___

__Draco tossed the letter back on the table, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Potter was playing mind games with him, and they both knew it. Draco summoned a quill, deciding he was willing to play into Potter’s game for a little bit._ _

_____Potter,_  
_Not sure when I’ll be out again but I do fancy the truth about the curse. I’ve got plenty of alcohol here at the manor that’s been untouched for a century if that’s what you really want.  
Thank you for taking care of Zeus. -DM_

____

____

____Draco scribbled the last line after much internal debate. He wasn’t too fond of having Potter over for a chat but his curiosity on the subject quickly overpowered his thoughts on the matter. Draco tied the letter to Zeus’ leg and watched him fly until he was out of sight. He opened a letter with his boss’s handwriting, a bit aggravated to find out he wasn’t to return to work until December first._ _ __

____Harry’s reply came faster than Draco would have expected it to, but within two hours, Draco was leading Harry to the kitchen in search of the family firewhiskey._ _ _ _

____“Have you talked to Trina since you decided to wake up from your coma?” Harry was leaning against the door to the wine cellar, watching Draco as he searched the bottles._ _ _ _

____“No,” Draco said, finally finding what he was looking for. “The only letter I’ve sent is the one to you,”_ _ _ _

____“I feel so special,” Draco just rolled his eyes as he handed Harry the bottle of firewhiskey and a shot glass._ _ _ _

____“Why were you acting so weird at St. Mungos?” Draco asked bluntly. Harry sighed and opened the bottle._ _ _ _

____“I didn’t want to have the whole conversation with Ron there,” He admitted. “He knows the general summary of the curse, but it feels too personal to have him explain everything,” Draco poured himself a mug of butterbeer and sat on the floor across from where Harry was standing. Harry followed suit, sliding down the wall until he was fully sitting._ _ _ _

____“Elegant,”_ _ _ _

____“Thank you,” Harry grinned and took a shot. “Well, the story starts back when we were in sixth year. After I cast that spell on you, Dumbledore took me into his office and put it on me,”_ _ _ _

____“So then what does it do?”_ _ _ _

____“It doesn’t do anything, really. The way it works is that there was originally five layers of it. Four of them were already broken, but Dumbledore said that as more layers were broken, it would be harder for the next layer to be broken,”_ _ _ _

____“Seems pointless,” Draco said, taking a small sip of butterbeer._ _ _ _

____“I thought so too, but I allowed my close friends to try to break it. Molly was the first layer, Ginny the second, Hermione the third, and Ron the fourth,”_ _ _ _

____“And now me. That’s great and all, but I still don’t understand why this is such a big deal,” Draco said, and Harry closed his eyes for a moment._ _ _ _

____“Dumbledore said that the soul of the other person must be pure-” Draco snorted a laugh, “-and has to love me in some way at the time of breaking the curse,” Draco’s head snapped up, searching for any indication that Harry was lying._ _ _ _

____“What the fuck kind of curse is that?”_ _ _ _

____“He said that I was to try and break all five before Voldemort attacked Hogwarts, and I would know who was really on my side and who would continue to fight if I died,” Harry chuckled humorlessly. “Correction, _when _I died,”___ _ _ _

______“Don’t flatter yourself, Potter, I’m not in love with you,” Draco was staring intently into his cup, and Harry couldn’t fight back a small smile._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Okay,” Harry said quietly. “But I thought telling you everything would be the right thing to do,” Harry stood, gently setting the bottle next to Draco’s knee._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Didn’t you want to know about the healing I used?” Draco felt himself smirk when Harry gave him a curious look._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Well-I mean, yeah,” Harry quickly sat back on the floor. “I was wondering how the hell they train you to do that. It looked really advanced,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“It’s more show than actual talent,” Draco said. “You just tap into your own magic and use it to heal the other person,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“What happens if you use up all your magic?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“What’s your guess, Potter?” Draco said dryly. “A lot of the time, the healer will pass out before they get to that level,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Is that what happened to Trina?” Draco nodded, taking a deep drink from his mug. “She woke up way before you though,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“She’s never reached that level of sheer exhaustion before. It’s harder to rebound each time you reach that point in healing,” Draco knew Harry’s next question before he voiced it._ _ _ _ _ _

______“And you have?” Draco only answered with his best ‘well duh’ expression. “When?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“When I first started as a healer. Theo Nott had been attacked by his father and when he got to St. Mungos, he was barely alive,” Draco fell silent, closing his eyes for a brief moment. “How’s Trina doing?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Fine, I suppose. I’ve only seen her a few times, I think she likes Ginny more than she likes me,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Weaslette? I thought you two got married ages ago,” Draco said and Harry chuckled to himself._ _ _ _ _ _

______“We were thinking about it, to be honest. But, when she told me she couldn’t do it because she was too gay, I was relieved,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“No angsty heartbreak?” Draco couldn’t help but grin at Harry’s amused face._ _ _ _ _ _

______“The first thing I did was head over to muggle London to see if I could pull any blokes for the night,” Draco’s jaw dropped and Harry grinned wickedly._ _ _ _ _ _

______“That is the last fucking thing I expected you to say,” Harry laughed loudly and Draco couldn’t help but crack a smile at the sight. “I never expected they’d become friends, Trina and Weaslette,” Harry shrugged._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Last time I saw either of them was early Monday morning,” Draco raised an eyebrow._ _ _ _ _ _

______“So you’re only a brat about getting back to Hogwarts if I’m awake. Good to know,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“It’s an extended weekend for All Saint’s day,” Harry said flatly. “Good try,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“It’s bloody October,” Draco’s brows furrowed as he watched Harry’s reaction to see if he was joking._ _ _ _ _ _

______“It was the end of October when you went into a coma,” Harry grinned when Draco flushed slightly. “It’s November fourth today,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Bloody hell,” Draco muttered. “I might just fuck around and go sleep for another three weeks,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Mister Draco?” A house-elf was lingering in the doorway, watching Harry and Draco. “Shouldn’t you be resting? I can sense that you have a fever,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I have a guest, Tinsley,” Draco said quietly, and Tinsley only gave Harry a fleeting glance._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I can leave if you need me to,” Harry said, eyes on Draco. “And if you’re sick, you really should be resting,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m perfectly alright,” Draco faced Harry and the house-elf took several small steps to reach Draco. She put a frail hand on his cheek, not reacting when Draco flinched._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Your mind is not as quiet as it should be, Mister Draco,” Tinsley murmured softly. Draco ignored Harry’s questioning glance. “You are still in disarray and have not fully recovered from the drainage of magic,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Alright. I’ll see myself out. Get some rest,” Harry stood and dusted off his trousers while Tinsley gently pulled Draco to his feet._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Bull. I’ll at least see you to the door. I’m not that bad of a host,” Harry didn’t reply but paused to let Draco catch up to him._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Thank you for letting me explain it,” Harry said softly once they’d reached the door. “And for the record, I’m sorry I made you risk your life for me like that,”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m just really good at my job,” Draco replied, trying to sound indifferent, but not even Harry could miss the small smile on his face._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Right. Well, I hope you’re feeling better soon,” Harry turned slowly and headed out the door, feeling Draco’s eyes on his retreating back._ _ _ _ _ _

______As soon as Draco closed the door, Tinsley was at his side, urging him to his room to go back to sleep._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Is Mister Harry Potter going to be around often?” She asked, conjuring a glass of water with a snap of her fingers._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Probably not. Why would he be?” Draco accepted the water gratefully, taking a sip as she hummed knowingly in answer._ _ _ _ _ _

______“The energy of the house was very bright when he was here. That is all,” Tinsely said, though her tone told she was implying other things._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I don’t like him like that. Hell, I don’t like the man at all,” She only smiled and took the empty glass from him._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Whatever Mister Draco believes. I’ll check on your fever in a few hours,” With a small pop, Draco was alone._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Holy fuck,” Draco muttered to himself, flopping onto this bed and pulling the blankets around himself tightly._ _ _ _ _ _


	6. Chapter 6

It was several days later when Draco decided he’d had enough of lying around doing nothing. He’d owled Trina earlier, asking her to meet him for a drink. He was surprised when she replied saying she was with Weaslette and Potter, but they’d be willing to let Draco join their group. 

He apparated to the entrance of the bar she’d said they were at and walked in before he could talk himself out of it. Trina spotted him immediately, waving him over to their table excitedly. 

“I thought you’d died,” She said once Draco had pulled himself a chair. He smiled fondly.

“Gave it my best shot,” Harry smiled to himself, not unnoticed by any of his tablemates. 

“McGonagall’s been asking about you,” Harry said, meeting Draco’s grey eyes for the first time. 

“That’d be because I was her favorite student,” Draco said with a half-smile, earning a snort of laughter from both Harry and Ginny.

“I think Hermione has that spot reserved. McGonagall said she wanted her to take over the position of headmistress,” Ginny sounded cautious, gauging how Draco regarded her as she spoke. 

“If anyone can pull off that shit, it’s Granger,” Draco said, casually leaning back in his chair. He pretended not to notice the half-smile from all three of his companions. He ordered a drink. 

“When are you supposed to get back to work?” Trina asked. 

“December first. Suspect I’ll have a Christmas shift now,” Draco’s drink was dropped off and he sipped it. 

“Wait, where do you work?” Ginny looked baffled, glancing at Trina, then back at Draco. 

“St. Mungos. We work together,” Draco nodded in Trina’s general direction. 

“How the hell did you get a job there?” Ginny blurted, taking earning surprised glances from her two friends. 

“No fucking clue,” Draco said quietly. 

“Draco’s the best damned healer I’ve ever seen,” Trina said with an edge to her voice daring anyone to challenge her. Draco took another sip of his drink to avoid having to say anything. 

“He broke the last layer of the curse,” Harry said, and Ginny’s jaw dropped. “And he insists the… ahem, _rules _aren’t true for him,”__

____

__

“Isn’t true _my ass _,” Ginny grumbled, giving Draco a once-over. Draco felt his face flame, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “It was true for me and I turned out fucking lesbian,”__

__“Is _everyone _at this table gay?” Trina asked with a laugh. Ginny's eyes snapped to hers, a small smirk playing at her lips.___ _

____“Suppose so,” Ginny was up to something, Draco could tell. “I knew my gaydar was picking up on something new,” She glanced at Draco pointedly and Trina laughed loudly._ _ _ _

____“We became friends because I could pick out his gay ass a mile away,” Trina said and Draco just rolled his eyes._ _ _ _

____“You say that like I couldn’t do the same for you,” Trina smiled innocently. Her hand had disappeared under the table, and Ginny shifted slightly. “And I hope you two are planning on getting a room,”_ _ _ _

____“Don't mind if we do,” Ginny stood quickly, grabbing Trina’s hand and nearly dragging her out of the pub._ _ _ _

____“I’m glad you came,” Harry said, watching the door Trina and Ginny had walked out of. “Wasn’t sure you were going to once she told you I was here,”_ _ _ _

____“Couldn't resist,” Draco moved into the chair Ginny had vacated, closer to Harry. “Has Weaselbee caught Greyback yet?”_ _ _ _

____“Greyback yes, your father, no,” Draco pursed his lips, knowing Harry was watching his reaction._ _ _ _

____“At least the attacks are over,” Draco said, trying to sound upbeat. “Getting tired of healing the same six damned people over and over,” Harry grinned._ _ _ _

____“I think none if us could resist that friendly attitude you’ve got,”_ _ _ _

____“Shut up,” Harry laughed when Draco’s cheeks tinted pink. “But it’s a relief they got Greyback locked back up,”_ _ _ _

____“Ron said Greyback went absolutely feral. Last thing he said before getting hit with stunning spells was that he was going to kill you,” Draco raised an eyebrow._ _ _ _

____“Well that’s just fucking lovely,” Draco said dryly. “Nothing I’m not used to, though. We had to put a charm around the manor to filter out the death threats,”_ _ _ _

____“I’m surprised you still live there,” Harry grabbed Ginny’s drink and pulled it closer to him._ _ _ _

____“Don’t have much of a choice. I either live there or with whoever I end up marrying,”_ _ _ _

____“Hm,” Harry scowled at the drink. “That is bloody nasty. Why do you make it sound like you don’t plan on getting married?”_ _ _ _

____“Think about it. How many gay purebloods have you ever heard of? I’ll be dishonoring the Malfoy house if I don't at least marry a woman,” Draco mimicked Harry’s action and pulled Trina’s half-finished cocktail towards him._ _ _ _

____“Well, who’s stopping you?” Harry said and Draco looked at him curiously. “You’re the only living Malfoy left, might as well marry who you like and adopt a kid,” Draco shrugged._ _ _ _

____“I s’pose,” The bar seemed to quiet, but in his mind, Draco blamed it on being focused on Harry. “But that’s just not realistic for me,”_ _ _ _

____“Why not?” Harry pressed, his voice seeming lower than usual._ _ _ _

____“I don’t exactly have a fan club, Potter,” Draco replied coolly, eyes narrowed. “There’s a lot more people who dislike me than there are people who like me,” Harry leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and looking at Draco intensely._ _ _ _

____“Fuck what the press thinks. Your life isn’t very much up to them,”_ _ _ _

____“You make it sound so simple,” Draco let the sarcasm drip from his words, and Harry just ran his hands through his hair. “Why does it even matter? I know you didn’t give a damn about me before I broke that curse on you,” Harry leaned off the table, looking away from Draco._ _ _ _

____“It didn’t only affect you,” Harry spoke quietly, almost sounding ashamed. “Do you remember how I mentioned there’s different types of love able to break the curse?” Draco nodded slowly._ _ _ _

____“But I-”_ _ _ _

____“I feel it too, you bastard. You can keep yourself in denial all you want, but I’ve told you the facts and I’m telling you right now that everything you feel for me-”_ _ _ _

____“Shut up,” Draco murmured. Harry didn’t listen._ _ _ _

____“You know what that means and you know how you feel about me and I know how you feel about me,” Harry finally met Draco’s eyes. “But you couldn’t have broken the curse if  
I didn’t feel the same for you,”_ _ _ _

____“Don’t say that,” Draco said tightly_ _ _ _

____“Why not?” Harry’s eyes were bright with intensity, and Draco could barely manage to pull his gaze away from them._ _ _ _

____“Because then there’s nothing stopping me from falling hopelessly in love with you,” Draco snapped. Shit. He didn’t mean to say that. Harry rested his elbows on the table again, leaning towards Draco._ _ _ _

____“There was nothing stopping you in the first place and we both bloody well know that,” Draco didn’t have a reply, so he just watched in silence as Harry reached across the table and gripped his hand. “There was nothing stopping either of us,”_ _ _ _

____“What are you trying to accomplish?” Draco intended for the words to come out sharp and cold, but instead, they came out dull and hopeless._ _ _ _

____“I’m trying to give us both what we want,” Harry’s voice had changed from intense to caring, and Draco couldn’t fool himself by pretending he didn’t care._ _ _ _

____“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Draco muttered, pulling his hands away and standing._ _ _ _

____“Why do you think that?”_ _ _ _

____“You know bloody well why I think that. You’d faster revive Voldemort than fall in love with me,” Using Harry’s surprise as an escape, Draco headed for the door._ _ _ _

____The warm air outside didn’t do anything to help Draco’s flushed face and body. He ducked his head and headed for the nearest alleyway. He heard footsteps behind him but didn’t pay them any mind until someone gripped his shoulder and whirled him around._ _ _ _

____Draco was half-expecting it to be Harry but was still surprised when he was suddenly face to face with the Golden boy, just inches apart._ _ _ _

____“I know that you know I’m right about this,” Harry whispered, ignoring the attention he was generating._ _ _ _

____“People are staring,”_ _ _ _

____“Let them,” Draco knew what Harry was going to do, but still stiffened slightly when Harry captured his lips in a gentle kiss._ _ _ _

____Harry pulled away before Draco’s mind had slowed down. He had a knowing smile on his face, which only broadened when Draco cupped his cheek and brought him back in for another kiss._ _ _ _

____Draco could only focus on one thing, which was that he was kissing Harry Potter and Harry was kissing him back and oh god._ _ _ _

____“Trust me,” Harry mumbled against Draco’s lips and Draco nodded fervently. Harry gripped Draco’s waist tightly, apparating them both to his flat._ _ _ _

____Draco barely had time to adjust to his surroundings before Harry was kissing him again, trying to convey every unspoken message between them. Draco knew this was spiraling out of control, but for once in his life he couldn’t care less._ _ _ _


End file.
